The Madonnas of Leningrad

Here's a book I really enjoyed. A magical mix of past and present (you know I like that kind of thing!), the past is 1941 and Marina is a tour guide at The Hermitage, the Russian museum and repository of countless works of art. Now, as the German army advances, Marina is helping to pack the artworks so that they may be taken away for safekeeping.

Soon the walls are full of empty frames but an old woman shows Marina the secret of remembering the paintings that were there -- so vividly that Marina can see the Madonnas that once adorned the walls.

In the present, the empty frames take on another significance as the elderly Marina begins the slow slide into Alzheimer's, losing her short term memory but filling the gaps with memories from long ago.

The book is sad, at times, but not gloomy. I am in awe of the beautiful writing and the artful connection of past and present.

(By the way -- I don't know where I got this book. I thought Josie had lent it to me but she denies all knowledge. Was it a Christmas gift I've managed to forget about? A loan from someone else? If anyone out there can clear up the mystery, I'd be oh so grateful. A mind is a terrible thing to lose . . .)